Allegedly Involved In Murder Of Late President Moise, Former Haitian Senator Faces Charges In United States

Mendiang President of Haiti Jovenel Moise. (Instagram / jovenelmoise)

JAKARTA - The United States on Monday charged a former Haitian senator of conspiring to kill Haitian President Jovenel Moise, the third suspect indicted by the Justice Department as investigations into the Caribbean nation stalled.

John Joel Joseph, who Haitian police described as a suspect days after the brazen killings last July, fled Haiti by boat and was arrested in Jamaica in January for entering the country illegally. He was later extradited to the United States.

Joseph faces charges of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in the death, according to a US Department of Justice news release.

US prosecutors say the conspiracy first involved the kidnapping of Moise, but developed into an assassination plot after the group was unable to find a plane to take him out of Haiti.

Joseph "was present when a conspirators secured the signature of a former Haitian judge on a written request for assistance to continue the arrest and imprisonment of President Moise," the news release said.

He also helped procure vehicles and firearms to support the operation, he said.

The release identified the suspect with the surname "John," while Haitian authorities said his last name was "Joseph."

Earlier, US prosecutors in January filed similar charges against Rodolphe Jaar, a dual Haitian-Chilean national and Mario Palacios, a former Colombian soldier who Haitian police say was part of the five-man team that entered Moise's bedroom to shoot her.

Haiti's trial for the murder has stalled, with four judges in the case paused amid complaints about death threats, as well as concerns for their personal safety.